49ers fans boo Blaine Gabbert at open practice in Levi’s Stadium

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me during the full-speed portion of team drills at Friday evening’s padded practice in Levi’s Stadium.

THE GOOD

1. Michael Crabtree. Participated during all of team drills and caught five passes. Worked harder today than he had during any other open practice this offseason.

2. Colin Kaepernick. Completed 13 of 19 passes. Carlos Hyde knocked down one of the pass attempts – Hyde stepped in front of Kaepernick in the pocket when Kaepernick was throwing.

3. Stevie Johnson. Caught two passes and dropped none. Both catches came near the line of scrimmage when Johnson was running “smoke” routes.

4. David Reed. Beat Perrish Cox deep down the right sideline for a 40-yard catch.

5. Chris Borland. Knocked down two passes.

6. Tony Jerod-Eddie. Tagged Frank Gore in the backfield for a three-yard loss. Starting center Daniel Kilgore has had problems keeping Jerod-Eddie out of the backfield the past two practices.

7. Chris Culliver. Dominant defending short and intermediate passes. Kaepernick threw two of his first four passes to Crabtree, who was covered by Culliver. First, Crabtree ran a slant. Next, he ran a deep square-in. Both passes fell incomplete. Culliver’s coverage was too good.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

1. Blaine Gabbert. Completed one of his first six passes. He missed receivers by five, sometimes 10 yards on his first five incompletions. The passes were so bad the receivers didn’t even react to them. The receivers just kept running. After Gabbert’s fifth-straight wild pass, fans booed Gabbert. He finished the full-speed portion of team drills completing just 5 of 13 pass attempts.

2. Josh Johnson. Completed 5 of 11 passes – not much better than Gabbert. The 49ers must have the two worst backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

3. Quinton Patton. Fumbled a punt, dropped a pass and made zero catches.

4. Bruce Ellington. Also fumbled a punt, and the fans booed him for it. 49ers fans do not tolerate muffed punts.

5. Patrick Wilils. Did not practice for the second practice in a row.

5. Chris Culliver. Got beat deep by L’Damian Washington. Washington outran Culliver down the sideline and Culliver did not turn his head to find the ball, but Josh Johnson overthrew Washington and let Culliver off the hook. The pass was incomplete.

When I had my season tickets I would boo when Shawntae Spencer and Kwame Harris were announced. Everyone around me either laughed or agreed and frankly I wasn’t the only one doing it. If you don’t like a player then there shouldn’t be anything wrong in saying so.

Adam This isn’t a little league 8 year old. This Professional Sports Gabbert gets paid millions if he can’t cut it and the fans can see that, they will boo. I don’t care about him or his confidence I only care that he can contribute to the team.

I’m not big on fans booing their own team either rocket, particularly at this point of the season, with two guys that are going through their first offseason with the 49ers. Neither Ellington or Gabbert have done enough bad work as a 49er to warrant being booed for a few mistakes. Give them a chance.

I can sometimes understand booing players during a game when it is a particularly poor team performance, where guys don’t look like their heart is in it. You’ve paid good money to see the team at least try hard. But in general, I don’t like to see it.

Why is he worth the booing? Its not like he used to be our arch nemesis for the hated Seahawks, he’s done nothing to the 49ers in the past. He’s never set foot on the field for the 49ers in a game that meant anything, let alone made a mistake which has cost the 49ers a game. You don’t think, just maybe, booing Gabbert at this juncture is slightly premature, even if you are inclined to boo players if they don’t perform as you think they should?

He’s a lousy player with no sign of ascension in the foreseeable future and he’s over paid for being such. What we’re seeing during this preseason is what he has always done since he was drafted by the Jaguars, which isn’t much.

AES, I agree, at this juncture I have very little faith in our backup QB situation. That isn’t my point. I’m just saying that booing Gabbert at an offseason practice session before he’s even put on a 49ers jersey during a regular season game seems stupid to me. Will people boo him before his first snap if he ever needs to play this season?

If he is needed this season, and he stinks, then yes I understand people are likely to boo him. I don’t think its fair on him though, as I think he should be given some time to prove what happened at the Jags was an aberration before fans turn on him. But as you say that probably won’t happen.

AES nailed part of my reasoning, but the other part is that I have never liked his play, even when he was the QB at the University of Missouri. He’s had terrible mechanics since his time there and I’ve seen zero improvement after he was drafted. Gabbert should have never been traded for and he certainly doesn’t the $2 million that he’s currently guaranteed this season. His play during his time with the Jaguars and his current play during the preseason don’t justify either action.

So Gabbert dealt with being bullied with the Jaguars and then a case of mono after the 49ers traded for him?
One has dealt with not catching a break and the other just stunk up the joint. That is what makes each situation different. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether I like the player or not. If the tables were turned, I’d be wanting Martin gone and cheering for Gabbert. But they’re not. It is Gabbert who sucks and Martin with the streak of bad luck, so don’t use the ‘I like this player’ route in order to support your posts because it won’t fly.

that he showed against the Ravens, especially on the blocking assignments. I still don’t care for the diva, but I know that he has at least earned his keep.
On the other side of the coin is Joe Looney. I absolutely love this kid and believe that he has what it takes to be a quality starter in the NFL. So far however, Looney has been up and down during practice and his performance against the Ravens left something to be desired, so much so that I’m hoping for Boone to return to the team before the beginning of the season in order to stabilize the right side of the OL. I’m even to the point of being fine if Looney is released even though I like the guy.

Right, so you like Martin because he got bullied at Miami? Hey, that’s a fair enough reason to hope for the best for a guy. And I’m hoping he turns his career around too. But then I’m hoping that for all the guys on the roster in that position (Martin, Gabbert, Cook, etc., much like Dorsey last year).

But I don’t see how the situations are all that different. Martin was in a bad environment at Miami, no doubt, but are you suggesting Gabbert had the best environment in the world and was very lucky to work within such a successful organisation as the Jaguars, so its all on him that he didn’t perform well?

My take is that both guys had to deal with working in poor environments. Alex Smith is a good example of how hard it is to perform in a club that lacks good leadership and a talented supporting cast. I’m not saying Gabbert will turn his career around like Smith, but saying he hasn’t had bad luck by being drafted by the Jaguars isn’t taking into consideration how much the players and staff around you matter for a young QB.

Here’s a good example of what I mean:
I really don’t care for Hyde running upright or that he’s inconsistent as a pass blocker. That said, he has more than earned his spot on the roster with his play during practice and then against the Ravens. Though I still don’t like the aforementioned areas, I think he had a solid future ahead of him.
Another one that I don’t care for is Stevie Johnson. He’s an arrogant diva with stone hands that comes with a huge question mark of why the Bills decided to trade him to us instead of pairing him with Sammy Watkins. But he too has earned his chops with his improvement during practice and the feistiness

Martin was in a bad environment at Miami, no doubt, but are you suggesting Gabbert had the best environment in the world and was very lucky to work within such a successful organisation as the Jaguars, so its all on him that he didn’t perform well?

No I’m not, but Gabbert was in the opportune situation of the two. However, I’m not just basing my opinion of Gabbert on that, but also on what potential he has to be realized. He doesn’t have any. His ceiling is that of a college QB who limitations couldn’t affect him at that level.
I saw untapped potential in Alex Smith which is one of the reasons I supported him. There’s none of that with Gabbert. Could I be wrong? Sure, but he’s yet to prove me so even during his time as one the nation’s top college QBs.

Gotcha. The reason you aren’t going to support Gabbert is because in your esteemed opinion he is and never was going to be any good. Not even going to give him a chance to show he is more than what he displayed at the Jags. Or perhaps you see one bad preseason game and one bad practice report (keeping in mind that prior to the first preseason game he had been receiving primarily positive reviews) as proof he will never get better? If that is the case there are a lot of guys we should be cutting…

So I’m guessing that when you were saying to Claude that his line of questioning regarding you believing you know more than Harbaugh and Baalke was “a weak argument with zero substance” what you really meant was “you are correct sir, when it comes to Gabbert, I know more than Harbaugh and Baalke”…? As I’ve said before, no harm in having a strong opinion, and on this one many people are with you, but you have to admit that Claude’s comment was not without substance.

Gotcha. The reason you aren’t going to support Gabbert is because in your esteemed opinion he is and never was going to be any good. Not even going to give him a chance to show he is more than what he displayed at the Jags. Or perhaps you see one bad preseason game and one bad practice report (keeping in mind that prior to the first preseason game he had been receiving primarily positive reviews) as proof he will never get better? If that is the case there are a lot of guys we should be cutting…

Nice try Scooter, but that is beyond a weak argument and also fails to include that I watched Gabbert during his time at Missouri. Why? Because the 49ers had a bad QB situation ans there was a strong possibility of them drafting a QB to Smith at any given time. I didn’t like what I saw and was praying that if the team drafted anybody at QB that it wouldn’t be Gabbert because of the limitations that I saw. I didn’t make my ‘esteemed’ opinion overnight like you are insinuating, but over a two-year period of observation to see if he had the chops in order to make it in the NFL.

So I’m guessing that when you were saying to Claude that his line of questioning regarding you believing you know more than Harbaugh and Baalke was “a weak argument with zero substance” what you really meant was “you are correct sir, when it comes to Gabbert, I know more than Harbaugh and Baalke”…? As I’ve said before, no harm in having a strong opinion, and on this one many people are with you, but you have to admit that Claude’s comment was not without substance.

Again, nice try but you failed miserably. If your comeback is that I said said something that I never once did say, then I’m sorry but you have no comeback. I have never once said that I know more than Harbaugh or Baalke. Now have I critized them for a certain move? Yes, but that has always been after said move…as have many others on this blog have done. I’m not the first one to do so, and I certainly won’t be the last one either.

One last thing about Gabbert: if God forbid Kaep goes down and Gabbert assumes the starting position until Kaep returns, then I’ll my support behind him because he is the one that we will have to count on. I’ll throw up inside my mouth, but I’ll support him nonetheless. Heck, if Gabbert leads the 49ers to a Super Bowl title, then I’ll change my picture of Willis to one of him…FOR ONE FULL YEAR. But I’m more likely to become a multi-billionaire overnight than the aforementioned scenario is to happen.

Wow, I’ve trumped claude – I’ve made it to the lofty heights of “beyond a weak argument”. Cool!

As I’ve said many times, I have no objection to you having an opinion on Gabbert. Nor do I object to you having an opinion of Gabbert that differs from that of Harbaugh and Baalke. Heck, I think you are in the majority in thinking he’ll never be any good.

My replies to your comments have simply tried to outline two things:

(1) You have pre-determined that Gabbert won’t be successful for the 49ers, and ergo you believe he should be booed. Booing him before he has done anything for the 49ers is stupid, in my opinion at least, as it is effectively the same as cheering for him to fail. Why you would want someone on the 49ers to fail that has done nothing other than sucked at another team is beyond me.

(2) While there is nothing wrong with having an opinion that differs from Harbaugh and Baalke on Gabbert, believing so whole-heartedly at this early point of his career as a 49er that there is no way he could succeed as a 49er (and therefore is worthy of being booed) shows a supreme amount of hubris, and clearly suggests you think you know more than Harbaugh or Baalke about what makes a good QB. Its one thing to believe he’ll never be any good, another to be so convinced of the accuracy of your own opinion that you simply could not be wrong about him.

And now I wait for your next “nice try”, “that won’t fly” or “that’s a weak argument” comment…

(1) You have pre-determined that Gabbert won’t be successful for the 49ers, and ergo you believe he should be booed. Booing him before he has done anything for the 49ers is stupid, in my opinion at least, as it is effectively the same as cheering for him to fail. Why you would want someone on the 49ers to fail that has done nothing other than sucked at another team is beyond me.

And yet again you leave out the part where I said that I observed him during his time at the University of Missouri (where he had a successful collegiate career) and didn’t like what I saw of his play and limitations. THAT is what I have my opinion of Gabbert on. His time with the Jaguars was just icing on the cake.
Booing a player and wanting a player to fail are two completely separate things. Booing a player usually happens when said player has either done something stupid, keeps repeating the same mistake and not appearing to learn from it, or simply has yet to do anything that he should be cheered on for doing so. Wanting a player to fail means that you loathe a player so much that you don’t care what the does good or how much improvement he has made. You just want him gone. The only time I have ever landed in the latter category was during the final years of Owens’ tenure with the team.

(2) While there is nothing wrong with having an opinion that differs from Harbaugh and Baalke on Gabbert, believing so whole-heartedly at this early point of his career as a 49er that there is no way he could succeed as a 49er (and therefore is worthy of being booed) shows a supreme amount of hubris, and clearly suggests you think you know more than Harbaugh or Baalke about what makes a good QB.

All that it shows is that I don’t see any benefit from having him on the team and nothing more. You and Claude’s ‘I know more than Harbaugh and Baalke’ bit is nothing but a sad attempt to make something out of nothing.

Its one thing to believe he’ll never be any good, another to be so convinced of the accuracy of your own opinion that you simply could not be wrong about him.

I’m not Barack Obama trying to sell his horrible Obamacare so that doesn’t even apply to me? Did you the part where I said I could be wrong about him? Yes I followed that up with he’s yet to do so, but I’m willing to admit that I am wrong if Gabbert shows that I’m an idiot in thinking otherwise. It’s already happened in regards to Carlos Hyde and Bruce Ellington (among others) so I’m not doubting the possibility. But Gabbert HAS to prove me wrong or my opinion of him based on what I saw from his college career won’t change.

Scooter: No one can say you didn’t try. Some people just don’t want to listen.

MWD: You can watch all the games you want, but that doesn’t mean you have the ability to evaluate QB talent, certainly not on a par with Harbaugh. It’s one thing to have some concerns or even doubts, but it’s quite another to state with absolute certainty that Gabbert has no potential and isn’t worth developing when Harbaugh apparently thinks he is. You may not have used the words “I know better than Harbaugh,” but, without question, you have substituted your opinion for his when it comes to Gabbert.

It doesn’t matter where your opinion of him came from Mid. Jags or Missouri Gabbert, I can understand why you don’t rate him. I was never a fan leading into the 2011 draft, and his time at the Jags has done less than inspire.

The heart of the matter here is you see booing a player before he’s done anything as a 49er as fine, I think it is silly. You say it is not the same as wanting him to fail, but I don’t see the distinction.

“Booing a player usually happens when said player has either done something stupid, keeps repeating the same mistake and not appearing to learn from it, or simply has yet to do anything that he should be cheered on for doing so.”

Lets de-construct that sentence. He has yet to do anything of any real note, bad or good, for the 49ers. So it can’t be the first aspect he is boo-worthy for.

He has played only a few series in one pre-season game, and for the most part his practice reports have been positive, so he can’t be boo-worthy for repeating the same mistakes or not learning, either. We haven’t seen enough of him this year to know either way.

So the only thing I can figure that makes him boo-worthy in your eyes is he “simply has yet to do anything that he should be cheered on for doing so”. That, Mid, is ridiculous. You don’t boo or jeer people until they prove they shouldn’t be. That would be the same as assuming someone is guilty until they prove their innocence. Do you boo all the rookies until they show they deserve not to be?

As for the you knowing more than Harbaugh and Baalke, you may say you accept you could be wrong, and you are willing to accept when you are proven wrong, and that’s great. But you are so convinced you are correct that you aren’t even willing to wait and give the guy a chance before you completely write him off (and despite any words you may have to the contrary, by saying you think he should be booed you show you don’t want him on the team and are not willing to give him a chance). And by doing so you are implying you know more than Harbaugh and Baalke, regardless of whether you consciously think that or not.

Anyway, that is my take. You clearly disagree. But as you can tell it grates with me just a little when fans jeer their own players before they are given much of a chance.

There are cases where i think Booing is ok. For instance if fans wanted to boo Aldon or Culliver i am all for that. Booing them is a way to show that we are not going to accept their idiotic acts off the field. But i dont believe in booing a player based on poor play. Regardless how bad it is. Football is a tough freakin game.

CFC..
with a 1.7 and 1.8 QBR -(so far this preseason)
I think Gabbert hasn’t earned any adulation from
the fans as yet .. and it doesn’t seem he’s on
the right track to get some .. any time soon, either ..

My last game at the Stick.. Alex beat the SeaChickens..
amidst all the Boos ..

Bottom line .. no matter where you sit on the
fence concerning Alex Smith ..

I’ve been a fan for 30 years and my family has had tickets for 55, if he was overthrowing passes and looked that bad, he deserved it. He’s a professional football player, he’s paid to play a game (and to do it well) if he can’t take it maybe he should find a new career.

I was at the training camp and I’ll admit I was the 1st to start booing gabbert. If your gonna let boos get to you there’s no room in the nfl for you.if your garbage i don’t care if your on the team or not people are gonna let it b known. I’m 27 years old and I haven’t missed a game sense I was 12 I’ve stuck with the squad through the garbage seasons long before the 2011 season.

Buy some season tickets or just a couple of games a year. And let someone tell you it isn’t right to boo horrible players and bad play. A fan should be able to boo anyone they want. It’s called passion dude.

I don’t think the fans should boo Gabbert he can’ help being what he is. They should boo Trent Baalki for trading for and then signing him to a 2 mil guaranteed contract. I think people take the QB whisperer thing a little too serious. A head coach doesn’t have the time to whisper anything to the QB’s. It’s deals like this that make me laugh at those that think this front office is run by a genius. No one is always right but this type of move is moronic and totally nonsensical.

(AES) “If Gabbert is responsible for losing the 49ers first ever game at Levi’s this Sunday…”
Hammer,
“It’s a preseason game. If losing on Sunday bothers anyone I think it’s time they question their perspective.”

I have no problem with my perspective. I just happen to feel that winning our first ever game at the new stadium is a good way to start.
I know it’s a preseason game and the results don’t count in the win/loss column.
Still, what’s wrong with wanting your team to baptize the new stadium with a win?
Also, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if other 49ers Faithful feel the same way.

And again, based on what we’ve seen from Blaine the last couple of years and what Grant said of his play today, Gabbert will be booed if he is responsible for a loss on Sunday.
That’s not perspective, that may become a fact.

Oh Jack, come on over to the dark side! You’d look good in navy and metallic green. And please gently inform Larry that BJ Daniels is the Seahawk’s 3rd string QB. And tonight he ran the ball in for a TD. Haha. You are the voice of reason.

Tuna, I’m just teasing Jack — he takes it in stride. I do disagree with him on one subject though. Pre-Season Games. While they don’t count count, the Seahawks play every game like it’s a championship game, and that Broncos game was a loss. This week they pulled it all together. Wilson looks to be on and Percy will change everything. Good luck in your season too!

I was in the stands at today’s practice, too. I felt like the “boos” and the sentiment for Ellington were more like, “Woah, woah, woah, there, rookie. You can’t be doing that and expect to get the job.” Like a gentle rebuke.

The “boos” for Gabbert seemed to me to be more of the, “I can’t believe we’re locked into paying this bum $2M/year,” variety. Like a frustrated exasperation mixed with a squirt of disgust.

Baalke has obviously made some great moves, but he has had a few costly bonehead ones too. Drafting AJ Jenkins and LaMichael James really has hurt the team. And for the second time he has traded a draft pick for someone else’s failed quarterback. He also drafts a lot of injured players, a strategy that the jury is still out on. This Gabbert move may take the cake though. Wouldn’t that 2M come in handy to make Boone happier? Let’s hope that Seattle cuts BJ Daniels and we can get him back.

I know it sounds like I am beating a dead horse, but I noticed a pattern some time ago about the both TB and to a lesser degree Jim as well. They lock into a positive about a player which keeps them from being objective. They then see things how they want them to be rather than how they actually are. In respect to TB he is brilliant some times and makes head scratcher decision at other times. I am not talking about making normal mistakes, but doing things which someone in his capacity as a GM and with his level of intelligence should never make. I sensed the pattern but couldn’t figure it out until I read the article about his OCD behavior. An example given was the time that he began to pull weeds on the grounds as he waited outside the building for someone( think it was either York or Jim). That’s an obsessive compulsion. It explains his inconsistent behavior. I am telling you people this might be a positive trait for someone who works out details under someones else’s supervision, but it is not a good trait for the top guy to have. An obsession interferes with objectivity making it easy to lose perspective and become goal displaced.

Yep, they were so obsessed over AJ Jenkins (and you’ll recall they had plenty of positive things to say about him) that they took the extremely unusual approach of letting a former first round pick go before the start of his second season. Talk about trying to save face…

Perhaps the “boneheaded moves” are just like every other organisation trying to evaulate draft picks and fit 53 guys under the salary cap – you have some personnel decisions that work out, and you have some that don’t. Nobody gets it right all the time. But the 49ers are fortunate that Baalke appears to have made a lot of good decisions.

I’m not a fan of booing one’s own team in any sport, but I always felt that if they pay the money they can express themselves (within reason). But, um, isn’t viewing practices free?
Aren’t those folks essentially guests of the team? Shouldn’t they behave accordingly? That’s my take.

Can we please get a “man-up” around here? Reading through this mess, I get it why some other folks call local fans the Whiners.

And anyone who thinks Baalke stunk on some players better get real about the fact that — ready now — no one is perfect. Including you. Baalke has done a hell of a job getting a good team together even if there are the occasional and inevitable whiffs.

Time for breakfast. I’ve lost more than 30lbs and I wasn’t that fat so I’ve ditched the BP meds as of today and the ticker is running at 120/80 without even trying. Not bad at one year short of 7-0…

Ghost, I agree. Fans who complain about TB need to ask themselves who they would rather have as GM. The last two drafts have been amazing. And credit should be given to Jed York for taking a chance on him.

Also, congratulations on your weight loss and getting off the meds. How did you lose all the weight? Trying to do the same using a Fitbit and am having some success. Not 30 pounds though.

Had a knee replaced and the hydrocodone knocked my appetite to hell. After that I just kept not eating much and walking to get my legs right again. I’ve been as high as a 186 want to be a stable 135 until I go back to the weights and gradually build up to 145 or so. I’ve shrunk over the years and I was barely 5’8″ to begin with.

Matt,
I’m hoping we get Boone in here sooner rather than later. He’s very valuable. If not, and with the lack of proven depth on the OL, what are the chances of the 49ers picking up ERIC WINSTON? The 30-year-old right tackle has started 119 consecutive games, spanning his first six NFL seasons with the Texans, a season in Kansas City, and last year in Arizona. He wasn’t re-signed by the Cardinals, which may be due in part to Winston becoming president of the NFL Players Association.

Grant – Does the QB intern/guru George Whitfield spend any isolated time with either Gabbert or Johnson or is all of his individual work with CK? Gabbert’s problems at J’ville, similar to Schaub’s experiences at Houston, may have resulted now in issues above the shoulder pads rather than with physical mechanics. When the confidence element is diminished or trashed often times it carries over to the physical tool set.

Also, people are booing and seem to be unimpressed by Gabbert’s throwing, but remember, one of the biggest statistical criticisms of him when he left Missouri was that his completion percentage of balls thrown more than 15 yards downfield only was 30% or so. 80+ percent of his completions were behind the line of scrimmage or within 10 yards of the LOS. You would think that Baalke and others who scouted Gabbert at Missouri and with the Jaguars would have charted his completions much like a shot chart in the NBA. Should not be a surprise to anybody because his body of work in games and individual workouts are not secrets.

instead of a boobird, Coach Harbaw will have
the Super Bowl monkey on his back, yakking in his ear,
until… (that’s right…) until…
he brings home the bacon (Lombardi trophy #6).

Glad you agree with me (Coffee’s For Closers):
When I had my season tickets I would boo when Shawntae Spencer and Kwame Harris were announced. Everyone around me either laughed or agreed and frankly I wasn’t the only one doing it. If you don’t like a player then there shouldn’t be anything wrong in saying so.

If the game resembles the recent practices, Williams will get a smattering of snaps, including any along the goal line. He’s been seemingly unaffected by the leg fracture that sidelined him for so long. Still, there’s been little game-like physical contact in practices and the Broncos’ offensive line ought to offer the push he needs to truly gauge his readiness.

Razor,
That’s good news indeed. I thought that Ian Williams was really growing into his starting role before getting injured last year. If he can come back and lock down his position again it will really be a big boon to the defensive line.

You have no argument from me MWN. And if I recall, what I nailed you on is when you wondered if the the Packers would be willing to trade Tolzein for Gabbert (which I wouldn’t mind if it actually happened).